A deep longing: Mosteiro dos Jerónimos

Longing is considered to be a simple yearning, a desire for something unattainable or distant such as a dream. But these ideas don’t even begin to cover it. It is a much deeper and more complex concept. Longing is that deep place in our hearts between what is and what hasn’t yet come into being…. It is the space between where we are and what we so much desire with every beat of our dancing soul. It’s an emotion so strong it reduces everything we already have into ashes… when it hits, none of it matters at all. The only thing that matters is that deep burning in the soul, for something else… something intangible, something indescribable, elusive and yes, far from reach. Longing feels as if it’s already there, and that’s part of the reason why it’s so hard to live with. It feels like it is here… as real as the ground on which we stand. Although it looks like an illusion, it is not, because that deep longing, doesn’t come from the heart or from the mind, it comes from the deepest corners of the soul, and, of course, the soul already has it. It’s just the body that is a little bit off guard, a little bit confused. So longing… it cannot be ignored or dismissed. On the contrary… it has to be loved, because it is longing that leads the way through these paths of life into what is already supposed to be. It has to be respected and dwelled upon, because it is a deeply holy space where the soul feels what it is used to… Where the soul talks to the body and claims what it is most needs…. It is a sort of joyful hope, a sweet torment of what we know is already ours, but still have to wait for. It is a profound force that can propel us forward to what is already ours to claim…. So as I sit here, alone, in this cold November night, with nothing but a burning longing in my soul, I welcome it completely… May it lead me to where I am supposed to be.

Published by Sarah Frances Dias

I am an artist and an architect, currently pursuing my PhD in Architecture at the Faculty of Architecture of Lisbon, with the theme of 'Significance and Meaning in Art: Architecture and Painting'. When I am not researching and reading, I am in my studio painting... which is most of the time. In the in-between I am drawing, sketching, writing, thinking, running or finding inspiration out there in the world. I am in love with all things creative and fulled by a desire for an emotionally purposeful and soulful kind of existence.
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